


Some Thoughts on Felix from Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Crimson Flower Route)

by Chronos_X



Series: Headcanons (2016-) [18]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Betrayal, Defector from Decadence, Edelgard von Hresvelg ruins everybody's lives, Felix Hugo Fraldarius (Crimson Flower Route), Felix Hugo Fraldarius Being an Asshole, Felix from Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a nuanced character, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route, Friends to Enemies, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Tragedy of Duscur (Fire Emblem)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:34:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26306422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chronos_X/pseuds/Chronos_X
Summary: Also available at https://www.deviantart.com/chronos-x/art/Some-Thoughts-About-Felix-from-FE-3H-CF-854225405Inspired by https://www.deviantart.com/users/outgoing?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iquHTOzJTpY.  See comment by Nova: "Everyone says that Felix joining the Empire doesn't make sense..."Dragon Ball Super: Twilight of Gods I - https://archiveofourown.org/series/1466320
Relationships: Blue Lions Students & Felix Hugo Fraldarius, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd & Blue Lions Students
Series: Headcanons (2016-) [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1635487
Comments: 5
Kudos: 4





	Some Thoughts on Felix from Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Crimson Flower Route)

Some Thoughts on Felix from _Fire Emblem: Three Houses_ (Crimson Flower Route)

[SPOILER ALERT. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED _FIRE EMBLEM: THREE HOUSES_ AND PLAN TO DO SO. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED]

I wrote this as a response to a lengthy YouTube comment (links above). With that in mind, thank you for taking the time to read this.

* * *

To paraphrase a fellow commenter, Felix is always going on about how Dimitri is a rabid animal who enjoys killing for its own sake, can’t distinguish friend from foe, and doesn’t care about anything other than getting revenge for those who died at the Tragedy of Duscur. According to that commenter, Crimson Flower Felix ends up becoming the exact same thing: a “Wild Boar” out to carve a bloody path of his own, even if he has to cut down his father, friends, and kingdom to do it.

Way I see it, this version of Felix's story fits perfectly into the Gone Horribly Right trope. Think about it. From day one Rodrigue drilled into his sons’ heads the importance of loyalty and obedience to Faerghus and the King above all else. 

The Tragedy happens. King Lambert and Queen Patricia die along with Glenn, Dedue’s family, and countless others whose names will never be known. With Glenn dead, Rodrigue loses his eldest son and heir, Ingrid loses the man she was going to marry, and Felix not only loses his older brother: he loses his friends and himself, as neither one of them is ever the same again[1].

Shortly after the Tragedy, Rodrigue makes a terrible mistake: he says in front of the grieving Felix that Glenn died like a true knight, fulfilling his sworn duty. Poor kid must've been screaming in his mind: “That’s my brother, your son you’re talking about, old fool! Is that all we are to you: lambs to be slaughtered whenever the royals want!?”

I'm certain Rodrigue had no intention of downplaying Glenn's death. He sure as hell would’ve preferred it didn’t happen, but at that point Felix probably didn’t care about anything his old man had to say[2]. Far as Edgy Boi is concerned, his father was proud that his firstborn son had died horribly, serving a bunch of royals who are also dead now and can’t acknowledge his sacrifice, let alone reward it. Rightly or otherwise, anyone who plays the “Your Brother Died with Honor You Should Be Proud/Do As He Did" card becomes Public Enemy No. 1 in Felix’s eyes.

Back to Duscur. Thank Sothis the Crown Prince survived, right? Oh wait, he’s using excessive force to put down a rebellion. In fact, he’s reveling in all that carnage and mayhem. Felix turns white as a sheet: Dimitri survived the Tragedy, yet he might as well have died along with Glenn and the rest.

Even knowing all of this, Rodrigue doesn’t waver. Way Felix sees it, House Fraldarius will remain loyal to the Crown of Faerghus at all costs, even if it means sitting Perfect Blue Anime Caligula on a literal throne of blood. Thus, Felix is not only horrified: he’s utterly disgusted at Rodrigue, Dedue, Catherine, Gilbert, Cyril, all those “We Must Do Rhea’s/the Goddess’/Dimitri’s Will, Even If It Means Committing One Atrocity After Another” types.

Crimson Flower happens. Following the incident at the Holy Tomb and its aftermath, Felix realizes Edelgard's telling the truth about Rhea and the Church, at least as far as he knows[3]. 

The plot thickens. Felix sees, to his horror and dismay, his father, kingdom, and lifelong friends side with Rhea, the Church and Knights of Seiros, turning a blind eye to all the countless vile and horrible things they’ve done in the name of loyalty, obedience, patriotism, all those values the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus claims to stand for! Dimitri swearing fealty to Rhea/the Church and letting them turn the Kingdom into their personal theocracy is icing on the proverbial s#$t cake, far as Felix is concerned.

Here's what makes Felix’s Crimson Flower path so tragic. Felix did betray Faerghus by siding with Byleth, Edelgard, and Adrestia, but he didn’t do it to become wealthy and powerful under a new regime, like Dukes Aegir, Vestra, Varley, and other Imperials during the Insurrection of the Seven, or like Cornelia and the Kingdom nobles who orchestrated Duscur to unseat House Blaiddyd, among other reasons. He also didn’t show interest in filling the void left behind after the dissolution of Church and Kingdom, when Edelgard and co. killed Rhea/Immaculate One, rounded up and/or executed their supporters.

As nonsensical as it may sound, CF Felix betrayed Faerghus because he stayed loyal to what it stood for, even though doing so meant betraying the Kingdom itself and everyone in it, from Dimitri to the lowliest peasant. Felix realized blind obedience and unquestioning loyalty to Dimitri and House Blaiddyd would destroy Faerghus rather than save it, decided enough was enough, and defected to the Empire to help purge what he regarded as an utterly corrupt monarchy ruled by brainless, spineless, heartless nobility, too indoctrinated by religious drivel and simplistic ideals about knighthood and chivalry to be worth saving.

As mistaken as Felix might’ve been about certain things, CF does validate his concerns to some extent. For example, if you have Felix fight Rodrigue, he tries to kill him because “it’s a father’s duty to right the wrongs of his son” or some other bullcrap, forgetting that thinking like that is what caused Felix to hate him and everything he and the Kingdom stand for. If you recruit Annette during CF and have her fight Gilbert, he opts to kill his own daughter, rationalizes his choice with “My only daughter betrayed Lady Rhea, the Goddess, the Church, and Faerghus, ergo I must stop her, even if it means ending her life.” Lastly, there’s the part where Catherine sets a whole town on fire under Rhea’s orders, kills Goddess knows how many in the process[4].

Way I see it, CF Felix didn’t have much of a choice. If he stayed with Faerghus, he most likely would’ve been killed along with Ingrid, Sylvain, Dedue, Dimitri, Rodrigue, and others. Even if he survived the war, Faerghus and the Church wouldn’t, so he would’ve been screwed anyway, utterly at the mercy of Edelgard, Byleth, and the New Adrestian Empire. The latter probably would’ve shown clemency... key word being “probably.” Even if that were the case, part of me thinks Felix would’ve preferred to be executed rather than bow down to those who destroyed his society and family.

If Felix sided with Byleth and Edelgard, he’d be turning his back on Faerghus, Dimitri, all his friends and family. If that happened, and the Church won during CF, Felix would’ve been hunted down and executed as a traitor, assuming he didn’t die in battle or something. With Felix dead, House Fraldarius would’ve been wiped out, not to mention irrevocably dishonored. If Rodrigue was still around by then, he likely would’ve spent the rest of his life as an utterly defeated, broken man, not even a husk of his former self, a fate he’d probably regard as worse than death, not unlike Felix himself.

Irrespective of his decisions, CF Felix probably ended up as a wandering swordsman, with no kingdom or home to go back to. Even if Ingrid, Sylvain, and other Lions who didn’t defect survived, they wouldn’t want anything to do with him, being a traitor and all. They’d massacre Edgy Boi on the spot if they saw hide or hair of him after all that (can’t say I blame ‘em). Poor kid never stood a chance.

* * *

[1] Kinda puts Sylvain’s personality and behavior into a whole new perspective, doesn’t it?

[2] Teenagers aren't exactly known for their sound logic and mature decision-making. I should know; used to be one myself. Unlike some people out there, I haven't forgotten; hope I never do.

[3] Jury’s still out on whether CF Felix ever learns about TWSITD and all the f#$%^d up things they've been doing in Fódlan and elsewhere, let alone the extent of Edelgard and Hubert’s begrudging complicity with them.

[4] Don’t even get me started on Cyril and his infatuation with Anime Dragon Pope Lady. Honestly, I can’t blame Felix for defecting. I, for one, would rather be hunted down and executed as a traitor than spend the rest of my life knowing I did unspeakable, unforgivable things in the name of truth, justice, all those values so many claim to uphold, but know nothing of.


End file.
